Sunny Beaches, Exotic Food, Treasure Cove: Plan your Holiday in Goa

Goa is one the best and the most loved tourism places of India. Goa falls in the South-West coast and has attracted millions of foreigners and remains to be the eternal favourite holiday destination. South Goa is the sophisticated and a quieter part of the Goa, to experience the rich Portugal heritage of churches and cleaner beaches. The North Goa is famous for Night life and never ending parties in the most happening beaches. Goa is a perfect destination for families & couples to have fun and relax while the group of friends can experience the adventurous water sports and party infinitely.

Goan Food: A way straight to Heaven!

Goan Food is one of the delectable and mouth-watering cuisines. It is definitely a treat for the spicy sea food lovers – the chicken xacuti, fish curry, calamari, pork vindaloo, prawns & crab fry, Goan biryani are just out of the world and perhaps the reason for many people to visit the place often. The best place to dine is the open space of the beach restaurants – devouring the Exquisite food – under the moon light and the twinkling stars with the sound of the beach waves, which can be the most memorable moments to treasure for lifetime.

Tourist Places in Goa: Popular Places to Visit

You could probably take a flight or even board a bus or a train to Goa. Once you reach the destination you could hire your favourite bikes or cars to explore the places all by yourself. You could even hire a taxi to visit the places under guidance. Some of the best places to visit in the South – West coastal paradise are – Churches, Flea market and Beaches.

Goa is not just for beaches and party life but it is also famous for beautiful and captivating churches. The churches pursue the Portuguese architecture and each one has a cultural & historical significance. Some of the famous churches of Goa are Se Cathedral (1619), Bom Jesus Basilica (1605), Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception (1541), Church of St. Catejan (1700), Church of St Francis of Assisi (1661) and many more to add the list.

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Goa is a dream place for all the street shoppers, you can find anything and everything from junk jewelleries to chilled beer, tattoos to spices and much more. The six famous flea markets in Goa are: Anjuna Market, Arpora Saturday Night Market, Mapusa Friday Market, Calangute Bazaar, Makies Night Market & Ashwem beachside market.

Where to Stay: Hotel & Resorts

Goa is tucked in the South-West coastal line and has about 30 beaches. For all the sea lovers, Goa is certainly a perfect holiday destination to hop between the beaches to experience the nature embedded across the sea water.

There are numerous Hotels and Resorts located near the beaches, ranging from luxurious to the mid-range to budget— luxury hotels are expensive with an easy access to beaches & markets and it can cost anywhere between 4,000 to 10,000 INR per night. Mid-range hotels come with an AC and many other good amenities and costs between 1,000 to 3,000 INR. Budget hotels could be simple rooms or home stays or guest houses starting at 800 INR. Yellow House is a budget Hotel which costs about 800 INR per night.

The Beautiful Beaches at Goa

Some of the beautiful beaches of Goa which are close to hotels and resorts are listed below:

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Anjuna Beach: If you happen to visit Goa for the first time, this beach should be a must visit tourist destination. It is located about 18 Km from Panaji which is the administrative capital of Goa. The Chapora Fort and the Albuquerque mansion are the highlights close to this place. The southern end of Anjuna beach is safe for the swimmers and comparatively calm while the northern end of the beach is perfect for adventures like bungee jumping and water sports. Some of the best and closest hotels to the beach are Premier Inn Goa Anjuna (costs around 4,539 per night), The Tamarind (costs around 3,051 INR per night) and Anjuna Beach Resort (costs around 1,667 INR per night).

Baga Beach: Baga beach is one of the best beaches of Goa. Mostly known for its beach restaurants on the shacks – which is perfect for a beach walk post the candle light dinner, night life parties on the Tito’s lane is a must visit and water sports such as parasailing, banana boat rides etc. are a must try. National wind surfing championship is mostly held in the Baga beach, between the months of September & November – every year. For all the adventure freaks this is the best time to plan your vacation. Some of the closest hotels to Baga beach are – CAVALA Sea Side Resort (costs around 4500 INR), Baga Marina Beach Resort (costs around 3900 INR per night), Resort Lagoa Azul (costs around 3000 INR per night), Hotel Bonanza (costs around 2700 per night).

Candolim Beach: Candolim beach is located about 13kms from Panaji and is one of the finest & longest beaches of Goa. It is usually less crowded and a perfect place to relax in peace to view the sunset while you bathe in the sun. The dunes situated right behind the candolim beach, is the main highlight to attract tourists. Candolim beach does not have any beach resorts, but most of the hotels and resorts are close to the beach – Lemon Tree Resort ( costs around 7000 INR per night), whispering palms beach resort (costs around 7100 per night), Highland Beach Resort (costs around 4760 INR) are some of the luxurious and the best resorts around the vicinity.

Agonda Beach: Agonda beach is one of the most popular beaches of Asia which has an extremely delightful view. This beach is located in the South Goa, and is much cleaner and less crowded to assure privacy. You could take a boat ride to spot the dolphins and see the cutest Olive Ridley Turtles at the Turtle centre. You could also night camp on the shores of the Agonda beach to enjoy the breath taking view of stars at night. Some of the best hotel stay options are – Agonda White Sand (costs you 3300 INR per night), Rama Resort (costs 3000 INR per night), Madhu Beach Huts (costs 1800 INR per night).

The months of December & January, are usually the peak time for tourists and the travel price can be exorbitant. Hence, it is best to book the hotels or resorts – before a month or two, to get the best deals. For a cost effective trip, you could probably plan a trip anytime between March and October, which is the off-season and the Hotel prices considerably fall down.

If you are planning to visit Goa anytime in the month of June or July 2017, Expedia is running an exciting ‘Goa Sale’ which offers about 50 % off on all Hotel booking between June 1 to July 31.

Hurry up to book your accommodation right away at your favourite destination. If you are an Expedia member, you are likely to reap more benefits by additional Expedia points + AIRLINE Reward points + Credit card points.